Hashtag hijacking attack, also known as hashtag hijacking or hashtag abuse, refers to a tactic where malicious individuals or entities intentionally use a popular or trending hashtag on social media to promote their own unrelated or malicious content, often with the goal of gaining attention, visibility, or spreading misinformation.
Hashtags are used on social media platforms to categorize and organize content, making it easier for users to discover and engage with relevant posts. However, hashtag hijacking attacks involve the misuse of hashtags for deceptive or malicious purposes. Hashtag hijacking attacks can cause confusion, deception, and reputational damage to individuals, organizations, or causes associated with the original hashtag.
Social media platforms employ various measures to detect and mitigate hashtag hijacking attacks, such as monitoring and moderating hashtag usage, but it can be challenging to prevent all instances.
It’s important for social media users to be cautious when engaging with hashtagged content, and to verify the authenticity and relevance of the content before sharing or engaging with it.
